Patinating 13 foot Bronze Cast Whales at the American Fine Arts Foundry
Ed Ruscha WEN OUT FOR CIGRETS N NEVER CAME BACK, 2017 Cast bronze with hand-applied patina by American Fine Arts. 19 3/4 × 19 3/4 in 50.2 × 50.2 cm This is part of a limited edition set.
American Fine Arts: Sculpture in the Patina Stage
AFA Bronze Casting in the Patinating stage

The Final Stage—Patinating

The bronze after casting is colored to the artist’s preference, using chemicals applied to heated or cooled metal.

This coloring is called patinating, and is often green, black, white, or brownish to simulate the surfaces of ancient weathered bronze sculptures. (The original  bronzes gained their patinas from oxidization and other environmental effects.) Now in the new age of bronze, many artists prefer that brighter, modern, paint-like effects. Patinas are generally more translucent than a heavy paint finish, which allows the luster of the metal to show through. After the patina is applied, a coating of wax is usually applied to protect the surface. Some patinas change color over time because of oxidization, and the wax layer is designed to slow this degradation down.

WHAT WE CAN DO WITH SPECIALITY FINISHES IS WORLD-CLASS. WHAT STAGE IS YOUR PROJECT IN? REACH OUT TELL US ABOUT IT, WE ARE HERE TO HELP OUR INSIDERS.



American Fine Arts Inc.

There is something beautiful and dangerous about a working foundry. It’s amazing that the technique of lost wax casting is still virtually unchanged for the last 7000 years. The startling thing is the timelessness of the art—the age-old technique of Lost Wax Casting.

Welcome to the NEW BRONZE AGE

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